Seven Questions with Paul and Jeannie McKean

Seven Questions is going to be a semi-regular feature in which we sit down with people who are from our body or who are in some way connected with our body. We'll talk with them about their various ministries and vision and discover some of the exciting things God is doing through His people.

Our first edition of Seven Questions focuses on Paul and Jeannie McKean, both of whom are quite involved at Faith Community Church. Among their many ministries to our body, Paul has taught many Adult Sunday School classes (including a current one on the book TrueFaced), and Jeannie plays a key role in Women's Wednesday Morning Bible Studies. But God is using this couple far beyond the borders of Whatcom County, reaching out from their home office in Custer to touch lives across the entire globe on a daily basis.

These two pioneers founded ExpatAlive, a ministry to an often neglected but strategic group of people. And today they took some time to explain to me a little more about what God's been doing and about the vision He has given them.


Question 1: A lot of us have heard you use the term “expatriate” and thought you were saying “ex-patriot” (which would be something completely different). Can you tell us exactly what an expatriate is?

An expatriate is anyone working or serving outside their homeland. This would include missionaries, educators, those involved in medicine, students, business executives, State Department, and military.

In each of their roles they have a unique entrée to the local population. Because they are there to serve and benefit the local schools, health programs, or business ventures (providing jobs), or represent authority from the sending country (consular and embassy) they can speak of the gospel with unusual authority.

They are in a separate community themselves with other expats and as a result can minister to their fellow expat’s needs (family, marriage, and spiritual).


Question 2: So the purpose of ExpatAlive is to minister to these expats, and also to minister through them to those they have influence with around the world. Minister in what ways?

ExpatAlive uses several avenues.

Our ExpatAlive website has biblical resources on it and other tools which help the expats to cope in this new world they find themselves in.

We send out emails to 400 addresses. Our goal is to respond to them within 48 hours. We have been able to phone them directly and have made an effort to connect in person as we have traveled.

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Talk about ‘bang for your buck’; the expat community properly trained and challenged are ‘missionaries’ who are funded by their companies and sending organizations.

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This summer we contacted those who were back in the US for summer break. Two couples were in the US and in our travels we made a point to go by and visit them and see ways in which we could be available to them.


Question 3: Are there any generalizations you can make about where most expats live? Are there certain countries that have more expats? Do they tend to be in large cities as opposed to smaller towns?

There are 3 million Americans who serve as expats. In the city where we lived there were over 1 million non-Americans who were expats. Americans and Europeans represented another half million.

Expats tend to live in pockets within the city by nationalities. On the whole expats live in major cities, but it is not totally uncommon for them to live in smaller towns. We have friends in Mexico, Italy, and Africa who live in small towns.

Areas that attract expats are in Iceland, Ireland, and throughout Asia, China, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong, Latin America and in larger cities in Africa.


Question 4: Don’t expatriates have their own built-in support system? Aren’t there likely to be other believers who are expatriates working at the same companies? Or don’t they find support with local believers? Why is ExpatAlive needed?

This answer is hard to be specific because conditions vary from location to location. I would say that on the whole you have conflict of interests. Your boss may be the leader of the local international church so you aren’t going to tell what is going on in your heart or family.

Most expatriates have a group of friends but they would be pretty closed about problems; limiting their support system. In most situations the local believers and the expats do not mix because of language and cultural differences.

That’s why we created ExpatAlive We can be a listening ear without being incriminating. You can look at our studies and share your questions without being thought silly.

This young man’s story is all too often what we hear from expats. He has no support system. He is trapped in a job without any one to confide in. He writes to us because we are safe and we will find answers for him.

I am only 24 and moved here for work and because I thought the Lord was leading me here for some reason, but I am not sure why. I have talked to several people who have told me that in this city of more than one million people there is not a single church, which saddens me greatly because I am so craving Christian community and fellowship.

Question 5: If expatriates are spread out all over the globe, and you are, for the most part, here in Washington State, USA, how do you minister to them?

With the internet it doesn’t matter where you are because we can connect where ever in the world people are. Further we have a calling plan that allows us for pennies to call anywhere in the world. We talk to friends in China for 40 minutes and it costs $2.00

As you know Paul has traveled to Asia over the past 2 years, spending a great deal of time among the expats to minister to them on location.


Question 6: That’s exciting! So if I support ExpatAlive, how is that money used?

Our mission with ExpatAlive has been to be a listening ear, share the gospel in a positive format, train and challenge them to reach their fellow expats and the local people with whom they have influence.

ExpatAlive provides tools for this unique group of people. When you support Jeannie and me in this ministry you partner with us to reach the expats globally.

Talk about ‘bang for your buck’; the expat community properly trained and challenged are ‘missionaries’ who are funded by their companies and sending organizations.

Technology and travel are not cheap. We raise our own salaries, all our related expenses, social security tax, medical, business expenses, international calling, and travel.


Question 7: Share a success story with us. Tell us how God was able to use ExpatAlive in an expatriate’s life.

Jon has been an expat most of his adult life. He employs 1200 factory workers and a technical staff of 30. Jon’s deep desire is to share the gospel with these people. His company is in a closed country.

He asked us how he might do that. We were able to offer the Jesus film in the local language for him to discreetly distribute to his workers. What a powerful outreach Jon has to these who would otherwise have not heard.

Jon and his wife began a ‘home church’ with expats. They saw a steady response of 30-35 attend. One of their outreaches has been a marriage encounter weekend to minister to the families and marriages among their expat friends. The home church they planted now is over 600.

Steve and his wife, Kathy (one of Jeannie’s first disciples from 1971 at Illinois State Univ.) live and serve in Russia. Their initial call was to the local population. As we have shared our vision Kathy began to minister to the expat women with whom she associated.

Steve picked up the challenge and has begun to work with the expat men. He recently had a retreat with expat men and Steve’s local disciples so they could share each others burdens.

If time allowed we could tell of account upon account of expats who are making a difference. In fact as a church we support expats from our midst in several countries of the world.

Jeannie and I are grateful to FCC for the generosity and loving care you have shown to us.

Paul and Jeannie McKean
Missionaries of FCC with Campus Crusade for Christ, International

FCC plays a small role in ExpatAlive through prayer and financial support. If you're interested in adding to that in any way, or just want to hear more about this exciting ministry, you can contact Paul and Jeannie at pnjmckeanpnj@yahoo.com